Growing Up
by Raibean
Summary: Daddies!Save fic. The background is Blood, Sweat, and Tears, but this fic stands alone. Indefinite hiatus.
1. Chapter 1 The Ring

**A/N: This is a sequel to Blood, Sweat, and Tears, but you don't need to read that. BST just provided a good backdrop for this story.**

Growing Up

David Karofsky (or Mr. Karofsky as his students know him) is a history teacher at McKinley High. He's working on his MA, but he'll probably keep teaching until he has his doctorate. After that, he's hoping to teach at a college. Sam teases him and says he can't wait until he gets to call Dave 'Doctor.' Sam Evans is his boyfriend, and he works from home as a web designer and translator. He doesn't make much money, but neither does Dave. Most of it goes to student loans. Lately, though, Dave's money has been going towards a ring. He finally has it – a simple gold band with 'I will always love you' in Na'vi engraved on it – and now he's not sure what to do with it. Nothing seems good enough to tell Sam that Dave loves him more than anything and that he wants to spend the rest of his life with him.

He has the ring box in his pocket all day because he's afraid of what could happen to it. He can barely get through his lecture, and the students notice.

"Mr. Karofsky?" Desiree, one of his best students, asks. "Are you sick or something?"

"No, Desiree, just anxious. I'm proposing tonight."

"Awww," Mia, another student, puts in. "How are you gonna ask her?"

That's the problem, isn't it? He isn't out to his students. He needs their respect, and besides, it's best to keep your personal and private lives separate. It doesn't take much to convince himself that he's not still the scared jock that walked these halls nearly a decade ago.

"I don't know how to tell him." Half the students gasp, two squeal, a good number "awww," and at least five have ecstatic looks on their faces.

"Just get your feelings out, man! My girlfriend loves it when I do that," Sergio advises him from the back of the room. More than half the class laughs.

They spend the rest of class giving him dreamy, hormonal, high school advice. He couldn't be more grateful. He's sure this is going to be around the school by the end of the day. They shuffle out, but Aiden, a wispy boy on the soccer team, takes forever to shove everything in his backpack.

"I didn't know you were gay," he says quietly.

Dave adjusts his glasses. "Yeah. My boyfriend's bi, though."

"I-" He gulps. "I hope he says yes." He rushes to leave, but Dave stops him.

"Aiden, I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything. If you're not comfortable talking to me, I can find another adult you're comfortable with."

Aiden doesn't say anything; he just nods and leaves.

Now he can't stop thinking about how much harder it's going to be for Aiden. Ten states have legalized some form of gay marriage. Ohio is pushing one such bill through the works right now, but if it doesn't go through, Dave is willing to move across the country to do it. If Sam says yes. God, he would be devastated if Sam didn't.

When he gets home, he's thinking about the Supreme Court and how Johnson v. Florida could force states everywhere to recognize same-sex marriage.

"Hey, baby." Sam's at the computer, grinning. His hair isn't blonde anymore, just a dark brown. He has to wear reading glasses from all the computer work. Even in just jeans and a tee, he looks gorgeous. Dave still has no idea how to propose.

Sam's smile falters when he sees Dave's worried look.

"Did something happen at work?"

"I love you."

"Hey, it's okay..." Sam hugs him and rests his head on Dave's shoulder.

"No, it's not. I can't think of anything."

"For what?"

"I don't know how to tell you how much I love you."

Sam gives a soft laugh. "Don't be silly. I know you love me."

"But this is important!"

"Why?" Sam takes off his glasses and slips them over the collar of his shirt.

"Because I want you to marry me." He pulls out the ring. "I-I know it might be hard for you to read, but it says -"

"It says you'll love me forever."

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Sam."

"Of course I'll marry you. You're perfect." Sam kisses him for what feels like forever., but once they stop, it feels like no time at all. "I'll get you a band, too." He kisses Dave's cheek. "Let's go out to dinner."

That night, Sam fucks him so hard he can't see straight. They're in Sam's favorite position: Dave bent over the bed,Sam pressing his cheek into the mattress. He likes it because he can just lean over and whisper to Dave if he wants.

"You like my dick, don't you?"

"Ah... Sam..."

"Answer me."

"God yes." Sam slides his hands over Dave's, and Dave could feel the ring resting on Sam's left hand.

A question occurs to Dave when they're cuddling.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?" He's tired.

"We're inviting your brother Danny, right? Your parents are gonna find out. Do you want to invite them?" Sam's mother and step-father had kicked him out their senior year of high school. Nineteen-year-old Danny reestablished full contact with his brother when he left for college, and Sam was still close with his father, but he hadn't spoken to his mother in years.

"I... I don't know. I have to think about it."

"This wedding planning thing is going to take forever."

"We should just ask Kurt to do it."

Dave laughs. "Maybe. I bet he'd have us in matching suits."

"I want a gray one. You always say I look sexy in light gray suits."

"You do. I should wear a blue pinstripe suit with red converse and a brown trench coat."

"Oh my god. Yes."

"Or I could be the Ianto to your Captain Jack. You'd look hot in World War II British period garb."

"I would cry."

"I'm probably going to cry anyways." He reaches forward to grab Sam's hand.

"I love you," Sam whispers.

"I'll love you as long as I live."


	2. Chapter 2 Kurt

Growing Up

"I normally wouldn't charge," Kurt tells Sam and Dave, "but Blaine and I could use the money. We're about to start a family."

"Congratulations!" Sam says. "Adoption or surrogacy?"

"Surrogate. We just set it all up with Rachel last week." Kurt has a giant smile on his face. "She's ecstatic. I couldn't believe she was willing to take a season off from theater in Chicago for this."

"What does Puck think about it?" Dave asks.

"He was super happy we would involve him and his wife in something so important to us. We asked him to be the godfather, and he cried. Rachel did say we'd have to raise the baby Jewish." Kurt shrugs. "I don't care that much. He or she will be able to make his or her own religious choices when he or she is older."

"How's Betty doing?" Sam puts in. "She's about to turn one, right?"

"Oh, she's great. She's adorable. She started talking – did you know her first word was 'Noah'? Rachel kept insisting it was 'no' until Betty was calling Puck that." Kurt looked around the room. "So Sam, you want to be in light gray?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then, David, we can't put you in black. I was thinking charcoal. Similar shading. We could do a lavender theme... gold trim..." Kurt's already lost to the nets of possibilities in a wedding.

"Okay," Dave says.

"You don't want something outdoors, do you?" Kurt asks.

"No," Sam answers.

"Well, you two need to make a guest list, so I can buy invitations and start looking at places."

Dave groans. Sam knows he got enough work from being a teacher. "Don't worry, baby, I'll do it." He pats Dave on the ass, and Kurt rolls his eyes.

"You two are so handsy." He probably wishes Blaine were there.

"Well, he likes it, so he put a ring on it." Sam grins.

"Don't tell me about your sex life," Kurt replies, ignoring the allusion. Dave nearly chokes.

"I will leave you two to it," he says. Sam stops him from leaving.

"If you go, I will beg Kurt for a Pandora-planet-themed wedding. Everyone will have to come as Na'vi."

"I wouldn't let you," Kurt comments.

"Sam, I have a twenty page paper due in a week, and there's a half-graded stack of student papers upstairs. I trust you and Kurt to keep each other's crazy in check." He kisses Sam on the cheek, gives Kurt a wave and heads upstairs.

In about half an hour, Kurt leaves. Sam gets back to work for one of his commissions. The legal pad by his mouse slowly fills up with names. At some point, he falls asleep on the couch. He wakes up to Dave running a thumb over his lips.

"Wake up, beautiful." Sam smiles. "You're going to hurt your back like that." Dave kisses him. "You wanna order pizza?"

"Nah, I didn't exercise today." Dave frowns, remembering Sam's battle with exercise bulimia. "It's just an hour a day, baby."

"Salad and sandwiches?"

"In a minute." Sam pulls him down for another kiss, and then they just lie there, Dave's head resting on his chest. "How are those papers?"

"I used them as procrastination for _my_ paper, so they're done."

"That's good."

"I fear for this country's future."

"Or maybe it's not good."

"I love these kids, but I hate being their teacher sometimes. What am I doing wrong? Why don't they get it?"

"Just get certified for AP or teach honors or something. The smart kids will get it." He plants a kiss on Dave's head. "Do we need dinner? Can't we just sleep right here?"

"I'm hungry, Sammy."

"Fine, baby." Sam stretches for a few minutes, and by then, Dave has a salad ready.

It's Tuesday, so it's Sleep (At Least) Commando night. They're snuggled up next to each other, naked. Sam's the big spoon, and he's massaging Dave's leg.

"You're gonna look so sexy with your hair slicked back," Dave says.

"You're going to look great in a charcoal suit. You should wear a tie that matches my suit, though – and I'll wear one that matches yours."

"Yeah, we still need to buy my ring. We're gonna get new ones for the wedding, right?"

"Yours should say 'Hello Sweetie' in Old High Gallifreyan."

"You are not Professor River Song."

"But you're my Doctor." Dave wiggles, and Sam squeezes him more tightly. "Too bad neither of us is getting a name change."

"We could, if Ohio pushes the damn bill through." He looks back at Sam, a smile on his face. "You can't take my name; you're already the housewife."

"That is so unfair," Sam scoffs. "You make dinner more than I do."

"You clean."

"I work at home! I need a clean workplace, or I can't focus."

"I would take your name," Dave whispers, and Sam kisses his shoulder.

"I love you."

"Sam," Dave says quietly. "There's a kid in my first hour class, Aiden Stravinsky. I think he's gay and struggling with it. I don't know what to do."

"Have you said anything to him?" Sam remembers his own problems with his bisexuality when he was a teen. Dave's are just as vivid: the panic attacks, the bullying, the constant fear. College was a real turn-around for him. It was Dave's chance to reinvent himself, and he let loose.

"I told him he can talk to me about anything. I doesn't feel like enough."

"Just wait. Maybe he'll talk to you. It's all you can do."

"I feel so _responsible_ -" His voice was husky and raw.

"You're not. All you can do is be there, okay baby?"

"I love you."


	3. Chapter 3 Family

Growing Up

Dave opens the door one Saturday, and Danny's there. He has a giant grin on his face. Dave kind of wishes he'd put on a shirt.

"Sam wanted me to come over today. Did he forget to tell you again?"

"He probably didn't write it down. He's in the kitchen – do you want anything?" Danny heads for the couch.

"Nah, I grabbed some Mickey D's on the way here. Quarter Pounder."

"Cool. Sam!" he calls. "Your brother's here!" Now he just has to put a shirt on. When he comes downstairs, they're talking. Dave smiles and sits next to Sam.

"So, um." Sam glances at Dave and grabs his hand. "We're getting married."

"Oh my god, congratulations!" Danny gets up to hug both of them. "When?"

"We could do it this summer, but we were thinking next summer, so we could save up money," Dave explains.

"We could buy you a suit if you need one," Sam adds.

"No, I still have one from prom."

"That was two years ago, Dan."

Danny just shrugs. "Are you gonna tell Mom and Dad?"

"I haven't decided yet." Sam squeezes Dave's hand.

"I think you should see them again. At least try – for me?"

"Okay."

It worries Dave because he doesn't want to let those people have another chance at hurting Sam, but what if they don't hurt him? What if they've changed? Sam's phone conversation with his father goes much better.

"He wants to take some of the expenses off our hands."

Dave looks at Sam in surprise. "You mean like when he paid half your student debts as a graduation present?" Sam's dad has money, money enough to send Sam to a private school (until he decided to move to Ohio with his mother).

Sam is smiling."Yeah. Dad's got connections. You know my first few commissions were from his company."

"That was before we moved in together."

"Only just. Anyways, he wants to help with stuff like down payments and decorations." He kisses Dave on the cheek. Not for the first time, Dave can't believe this is happening.

"But not all of it."

"Dad doesn't believe in taking away all the work. It's like when parents help you with your homework. 'I won't give you the answers, but I'll give you the tools to find them yourself.'"

"I met him at graduation, right?" It's been a while, but Dave has a vague idea of a man with Sam's lips and hair.

"Yeah. He's going to come no matter when it is, he promised."

"Well good. Now come on, my parents are probably waiting." They're having dinner with Dave's parents to give them the good news. They're going to Olive Garden.

They meet his parents in the parking lot.

"Hey, Paul," Sam greets them. "Martha! How are you?"

"Hello, Sam." His mother kissed Sam on the cheek. "David! How are your students?"

"They're great, Mom."

"How about you? Is Sam taking care of you? You know how you get lost in your work."

"I'm fine, Mom. How's Carrie?" Dave asks after his sister.

"She and Geoffrey are taking care of Cassandra. They're absolutely exhausted. Oh, Paul, remember when we were new parents?"

"Absolutely no sleep."

"We were so happy."

"We were sleep deprived, Martha; I don't think we could have been anything but happy."

They waited until dessert to tell them, but it was hard. It was like everything on Dave's skin was screaming _We're engaged!_

"Are you two going to buy that house you're in?" his dad asked.

"No, Dad. We have enough on our plates with student loans. I mean, I'm still at school for now, but I might have to move closer to Columbus for my Ph. D."

"We have decided something else, though." Sam smiled. "We're getting married."

"Oh, you two!" Dave's mom got up to hug them both. "I'm so happy."

"Congratulations, son. Sam, let me be the first to welcome you to our family," Dave's dad says. "And if you two have any trouble paying for the ceremony, we are happy to chip in."

"Thanks, Dad." He smiles.

Later, they're watching TV. Sam's legs are draped over Dave's, and Dave is leaning on Sam.

"Danny called. He arranged the meeting," Dave says quietly. "Next Sunday at noon."

"I don't know if I'm ready." Dave looks up to see tears in Sam's eyes.

"Sam, I'll be there with you."

"But what if they don't want to see me?"

"Sam, they wouldn't have said yes if they didn't want to see you."

"What if it's just to yell at me again?"

"Then we'll leave." Dave pulls Sam into his lap. "You don't need them. You have your dad; you have your brother; you have my parents... You have me. We all love you." Sam buries his head in Dave's shoulder. "You know what'll cheer you up?"

"What?"

"I could read to you like I used to." When they were first going out, Dave would read science fiction books to Sam, who has trouble reading because he's dyslexic. They haven't done it in a while, though – Dave's too busy teaching or learning depending on what day of the week it is. "What are you reading these days?"

"I was rereading Boneshaker."

"Everything's going to be fine, Sam."

It doesn't feel like it on Sunday, though. Dave's throat is dry, and Sam's palms are sweating. They're holding hands, and they haven't even left the car. Sam's parents haven't moved, and Dave feels like he's seventeen again, driving up to sneak kisses in Sam's room.

"You can do this," Dave tells Sam, and the ex-blonde leans over to kiss him. "I won't leave your side."

"If it gets bad, please make me leave."

"I will."

Sam was trembling as they walked up. Jessica, his mother, answers the door.

"Oh, Sam," she says. She reaches up to touch his hair. "You're not blonde anymore."

"Yeah, I grew it out."

"You have glasses." She looks like she's in a dream.

"They're my reading glasses; I guess I forgot to take them off."

"I... Come on in." Nathan, Sam's step-father, is on the loveseat, so Dave and Sam take the couch. The furniture is different, at least. Dave wonders if they emptied Sam's room after he left.

"How are you doing? Your father tells me you work with computers now?" She's choosing her words carefully. Dave can't imagine how she feels, but he hopes it's "happy" or at least "regretful."

"Yeah, I'm a freelance website designer and translator. I mostly work with small businesses."

She turned her eyes to Dave. "And you're his boyfriend?"

"Fiance, actually."

She freezes. "Is that why you wanted to come here?"

"Mom, I want you and Nathan to be there."

That's when she starts to cry.

"Jessica..."

"No, Nathan, you don't understand! You've pushed it all away, but I can't. This is my baby boy, and I should have been with him through college! I should have been the first person he called, and I wasn't."

"Mom." Sam gets up, and his mom rushes to hug him.

Dave is absolutely relieved.


	4. Chapter 4 Children

Growing Up

Brittany is the one who opens the door for Sam and Dave. Her smiled lights up her face as she leads them to the dining room. Santana is cutting cards at the table. They run a kitty day-care together: Brittany and her assistants take care of the cats, and Santana takes care of the expenses and advertisements. She's going for her Masters in business now.

"School's finally over; how do you feel?" she asks Dave.

"He's teaching summer classes at Lima Community College – and taking classes for his degree," Sam explains.

"I'm about to do summer school in two weeks, too." Dave groans, and Sam gives him a kiss on his forehead.

"How are you two doing?" Sam asks.

"Santana won't let us have a baby," Brittany says bluntly.

"She refuses to move the cats to the business. Brittany couldn't be the one to get pregnant; cat litter is dangerous to fetuses! And I'm not so sure I'd want a Latino baby." She crosses her arms.

"Why not?" Dave asks.

"It would be hard enough having two moms; would you really want to add racism into that mix?" She smiles. "Any kid of mine would speak Spanish, though. Brittany's almost fluent now."

"Blaine and Kurt are having a baby," Sam says.

"Yeah, the official announcement was on Facebook last night. Apparently Rachel's pregnant."

"Oh! Wow. I guess that's what happens when you don't check Facebook."

"We both had deadlines."

"Puck was really happy," Brittany muses.

"That's another problem; we wouldn't be able to decide on a donor," Santana adds crossly.

"You could pick a white guy, so the baby would be biracial," Dave suggests.

"I'm enough of a bitch. I don't think anyone wants to see me pregnant."

"I'll still love you, Tanny," Brittany says softly. "No matter how mean or big you got."

Santana's face falls a little, but she deals the cards. "I would be a horrible mom, Brit."

"Then you can be the dad."

"What are we playing?" Sam asks.

"Go Fish," Brittany says. "It's been too long since I've played."

At home, Sam lies on top of Dave on the couch as they watch TV. Dave is twirling one finger lazily around one of Sam's brunette locks.

"Do you think I would be an okay dad?" he asks Sam.

"You'd be a great dad. You're great with teens; a lot of your students love you."

"I don't know if I'm good with little kids, though."

"Baby, I work at home. I'll take care of the kid. You know, not a lot of kids get that these days." He kisses Dave's neck. "Don't worry about that. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"But what if we don't agree on something?"

"Hey! We both want kids, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then we'll figure it out later."

Dave groans. "Sam. We can't just delegate everything until later." He sits up.

"Well I don't see the point in worrying about kids yet when we aren't even married!" Sam frowns. The light from the TV morphs his face, making the lines and colors more sinister.

"Because it's fucking important! It's not like we're a straight couple who has most of this shit handed to them!"

"You graduate next year, right? Right before the wedding. We should just wait until we get more of your student debt out of the way."

"Sam, I want to be a dad. With you – I want to have kids with you. But I am so goddamned worried about this, and you're acting like I have no reason to be."

"Will planning it out make you stop worrying?"

"Yes."

"Fine. We can do that when I'm not exhausted. You barely do any of the wedding planning..."

"I'm a teacher; my schedule is pretty full."

"Yeah, well, I'm tired of telling Kurt to postpone decisions because I have to ask you. Why can't you just be there?"

"Oh, come on, you remember college. It's just as exhausting to be a teacher."

"I want a little help. I know you're interested, but I'd like to see you put out more effort."

"How about this: every Sunday, we'll do it together. No work for you, no students or essays for me, just you and me and our future."

"You're lucky Kurt and Blaine have lazy Saturdays instead of Sundays." Sam reaches over to grab Dave's hand. "You're not really worried about a baby, are you? You'll be a great dad."

"But what if I'm not? You know how badly I've fucked up -"

"You're different now."

"I know, but having a kid changes things. What if I regress?"

"I'll make sure you won't. That's why there's two of us." Sam kisses his nose. "You'd better teach our kid how to read, though."

"Okay."

"You know," Sam adds, "it looks like the bill is going to go through. Ohio won't ban marriage equality anymore."

"What do we do if it doesn't pass?" Dave asks. "I was thinking that if it doesn't, we could just have the ceremony and the party here, maybe move to Illinois and do it in front of a judge."

"I guess." Sam frowns. The recession is officially "over," but Illinois still has poor unemployment rates. That's where Rachel and Puck are, though.

"I just... If we have a kid, I need us to have all those rights. I need both of us to be recognized as parents."

"Let's talk about that one if the bill doesn't pass, okay?"

"Okay."

"Have I ever told you how sexy you are when you're being responsible?" Dave's eyes lit up, and Sam leans forward to pull Dave's shirt off.

"No, actually, I haven't heard you say that."


	5. Chapter 5 Dinner

Growing Up

It's fall, and Dave is surprised to see Aiden walk into his classroom again. He's a Senior now, and most Seniors don't need another history class. The wispy kid sits in the front, and a few of his friends sit around him.

"Welcome to Contemporary American History. I'm Mr. Karofsky, but you can call me Mr. K if you like. We're basically studying pop culture from the past century." There are a few whoops from the class. "We will read passages from books, watch documentaries, and write papers. It's not just pop culture, but that's what everyone remembers from the class. It's social history, so we'll go over the Civil Rights movement, hippies, the effects of Prohibition and the World Wars... It's an easy class, but it's good practice for US History, especially if you're taking Honors or AP." He passes out the syllabus.

"Those of you've had me before know that I'll make a seating chart at the end of the week, so I suggest you be on your best behavior. There's a new seating chart each quarter. We're going to have one paper and two tests each quarter. I'm hoping to get through twenty-five years each quarter. Are there any questions?"

A blonde girl, a Sophomore named Jenny, raises her hand. "Sir? I heard a rumor that you're gay?"

"That's true. I'm marrying my fiance next summer." _Fucking high school._ "Do we have any relevant questions?"

A few students ask about grading and extra credit (there was tons of it); then he talks about the documentaries they'll watch in class. He glances down at his engagement ring.

When he gets home, Sam is asleep on the couch. His shirt is stretched up over his stomach, so Dave takes the throw pillow off the back of the couch and lays it over the sleeping brunette. He's home early since he only had to make copies and file papers for his classes. He starts two college classes next week. One is online except for an hour on Mondays, and the other is a Tuesday/Thursday class. Even getting back early, it's past five.

"I'd better make dinner."

There isn't too much in the fridge; they were planning on going grocery shopping on Friday. He decides to make beef stroganoff. Dave imagines coming home to see Sam holding a baby in his arms as he slept. Sam wanted to wait a few years after they were married to have a kid, but Dave couldn't stop thinking about it. Their friends were all either new parents or making way for another one, and Dave could see how happy they were. He looked down and those soft baby faces and wondered what it would be like when it was his kid.

It would take proper planning, and he wanted that. He wanted to do it right. They'd already talked about a few options; so far their favorite was using Dave's sister Carrie as a donor and surrogate with Sam fathering the child.

When Dave pours the noodles in the boiling water, he decides it's time to wake Sam up. He pushes Sam's hair out of his eyes.

"Hey, beautiful." Sam just whines and rolls onto his side. "Dinner's almost ready." Sam covers his ears. "You know, hon, I was thinking we shouldn't wait too long after we get married to have kids. Are you listening? I want to be a dad." Sam frowns; he isn't awake yet. "Come on, you lazy bum. Get up! I made dinner. I promised to vacuum everything this weekend. We're picking out a wedding cake on Sunday!"

"Stop yelling at me." Sam flips himself over to face the couch.

"It's dinner time, Blondie. Get up."

"I'm not blonde anymore," Sam answers crossly.

"I made your favorite, geekatron. The stroganoff is almost ready."

"The kind with wine or just regular?"

"Just regular. We don't have wine. We could buy some on Friday if you like."

"Sounds good." Sam turns over again to smile at Dave. "How was school?"

"Good. First day and all. Do you remember Aiden, the kid I told you about? He's in one of my classes." Dave kisses Sam on the cheek. "You need to stop sleeping like this."

"Yeah, yeah, it's bad for my back."

"It's bad for your sleeping pattern, too."

"Go check the noodles." Sam kisses him before Dave heads off to the kitchen. "I love you!" he calls.

"I love you, too!" Dave answers. "You know because I put up with your sleepy crap all the time!"

"Deal with it!"

Dave's putting together the plates when Sam walks up behind him and hugs Dave at his waist. He digs his chin into Dave's shoulder.

"Did you mean what you said? About having kids?"

"You heard that?"

"Baby, I'm dyslexic, not deaf."

"Yeah, I meant it."

Sam frowned. "I don't think I'm ready yet."

"Well, maybe in a year -"

"I don't know that, though. Dave, we'll be just married, and you'll have just graduated. We'll have a lot of debt to pay off."

"Our parents are mostly taking care of the wedding."

"Yeah, but you haven't finished paying off your first degree, let alone your second. I know you were planning on teaching at a university after this, but don't you think we should take care of that before we have children?"

"I know; I know. I just want... I just want to be happy with you."

"We're happy. We don't want to add more stress to an already stressful time in our lives, okay?"

"Okay," Dave answers. Sam kisses his neck. "I love you, you know."

"Of course I know. Can I tell you a secret? I love you, too." Sam nibbles on his ear. "Don't tell anyone."

"I'm going to tell everyone."


	6. Chapter 6 Relapse

Growing Up

Sam exercises in the mornings after David leaves for work. He does half an hour in the morning and another half hour later if he has time. Exercise usually helps him get past creative blocks in his work, so it happens a lot. He never allows himself more than an hour unless it's a game. Today, he feels different.

He can't stop thinking about how the wedding is in a few months, and maybe he partied a little too hard at Halloween. He's probably going to gain weight because Thanksgiving is coming up, and there's Christmas after that. He has to look good for Valentine's Day. Summer is swimsuit season. Everyone expects him to look good at the wedding. It would be a great graduation present for Dave if he got a little more definition back. He hasn't let himself go by any means, but his abs aren't exactly up to their glory days from high school. Maybe he could add half an hour to his routine.

He stops himself before he turns on the treadmill. He can't do this, not again. He hasn't relapsed yet, and he _won't._ It's been eight years, but Sam is no more cured of his exercise bulimia than he was in high school. He goes back to the living room to sit on the couch.

He wants to call Dave. He knows that if he texted him, Dave would shamelessly text him back during class. He decides against it because he knows what it will mean to Dave if he's having trouble again. It will mean even more now that they're thinking about children.

He checks his schedule to make sure, and he calls Kurt instead. After Sam's parents kicked him out his Senior year of high school, he lived with Kurt's family until graduation, when his dad got him an apartment in Columbus. Kurt's family kept Sam as their unofficial son all the way through college, and not much in their relationship has changed in the years since.

"Sam?" Kurt asks. He teaches choir at Dalton. He's also the Warblers' coach, but it's his free period right now. "Is this about the wedding?"

"I..." Sam clears his throat. "I almost relapsed again."

"Just stick to your schedule and eat something healthy tonight," his almost-foster brother coos. "You're perfectly healthy, and you look good."

"Not good enough," Sam whines. "Not for him -"

"Stop that," the choir director admonishes softly. "Dave isn't marrying you because he expects you to change into some fictional, flawless prince. He loves you just the way you are. He would still love you if you stopped exercising and grew a beard. I've heard him say it."

Sam wipes a tear away. His voices is thick. "I'm not good enough, Kurt. I'm still battling stuff like this, and Dave wants kids -"

"Of course he wants kids; all of us are doing it." He's half-way between sarcastic and understanding. Rachel is nearly five months pregnant, and he's getting ready for his own bundle of joy.

"I can't! What if I relapse? What if I warp them or something, and they end up with an eating disorder, too?" This is ultimately his biggest fear: that he will be a failure as a parent. He can't let his kids go through this; it's horrible. If it happened, he knows Dave would blame him for it, and that would be worse than just knowing it's his fault.

"You won't do it alone, Sam," Kurt says patiently. "Have you talked to Dave about this?"

"N-not about my bulimia. I don't want him to be disappointed. He's trying so hard to be happy, Kurt. I can't take that away!" Sam loves seeing Dave so happy. It's so goddamned wonderful, and he can't spoil it.

"Sam, he'll help you. He won't mind." This is one of those awful things that he knows is true but can't bring himself to believe.

"I'm not ready, Kurt." He breaks down sobbing.

"Shhh..." It takes a few minutes, but Kurt coaxes him into calming down. "Do you love him?"

"Yes." Sam sniffs.

"And you want kids?"

"Yeah." He pictures Dave pushing a cute little boy on the swings. He wants that, he _does_; he's just so scared something will go wrong.

"Do you want to stay with Dave for the rest of your life?"

"Uh-huh."

"What are you scared of?"

"What if I can't make him happy? I know he loves me; I _know_. But he's ready for kids already, and I'm not. We already had a fight about it. And if he finds out about this?"

"He's not going to love you any less."

"He'll be so disappointed, Kurt; I just can't -"

"Sam, when he gets home, I want you to tell him." Kurt took a deep breath. "Dave isn't without his problems. I know he's having trouble coming out at his work. I know he's worried about being a dad, too -"

"Yeah, but he knows he's ready to have kids. I'm not. I'm a mess, just listen to me!"

"You talked to Dave about kids, right? What did he say?"

"He said we'd wait a few years."

"Then you have a few years. You're fine, Sam."

"I don't know what I'd do without him, Kurt. We've been together for nearly a decade."

"You'll be fine. Just don't exercise too much, okay? And you need to _talk_ to him."

"Uh-huh." Sam nods even though Kurt can't see him.

"You've been together almost as long ad Blaine and I, and we got married two years ago. We're doing fine. You two are doing great! You just have to remind yourself of that."

Sam rubs his nose. "Thanks, Kurt."

He pushes himself through work because he has a deadline coming up, but he still manages to peek at local bakeries for a wedding cake before he feels Dave's large arms hugging his shoulders.

"Hey, beautiful." He kisses the top of Sam's head. "I missed you."

"Missed you, too, baby." His voice is still raw.

"Hey... were you crying? Is something wrong?" Dave squeezes him tighter.

"I just... the stress is getting to me, I guess."

"Is this about the wedding? Because I can pick up the slack now. It's the middle of the semester, so everyone's taking it easy."

Sam shakes his head. "I almost relapsed."

"I love you," Dave says quietly. "What do I say every morning when I wake you up?"

"You say 'Hey, beautiful.'" Sam cocks a smile.

"Yeah, and I mean it. _Every time._ I will mean it when you're old and gray and wrinkled. You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I don't know if that helps you or not, Sam, but I mean it. Just looking at you makes me feel so loved."

"I don't want to struggle anymore. I just want to be happy. With you, I want to be happy with you."

"It's a date."


	7. Chapter 7 Coming Out

Growing Up

Aiden finally comes up to Dave right before winter break. It isn't entirely unexpected; Aiden has been flashing looks at him all week. Dave just hopes it's because Aiden's ready to talk and not because there's a problem.

Aiden comes in during lunch the Friday before break starts.

"Mr. Karofsky? Can I talk to you?"

Dave puts down the paper he was grading. "Of course. What's on your mind?" He pushes his glasses back up his nose.

"I..." Aiden chokes up for a second, and Dave hopes he doesn't walk out. "I think I like guys." It's nearly a decade after Dave got through his own sexuality crisis, and he still can't believe society can inspire this kind of fear in kids. Then again, ten years ago he wouldn't have believed he'd still be in Lima.

"Aiden, it's perfectly normal to feel confused about your sexuality – or even your gender identity, if it comes to that." He tries to keep his face in that calm, schooled expression, but in reality, he's almost jittery. He can't screw this up, he just _can't_.

"I like – I know I like girls. And I've talked to guys – you know, on the internet – and they say that I'm just confused. That I can't like both." Aiden looks down at his hands, and Dave's heart sinks.

"That's called monosexism."

"What?" Aiden looks up.

"Prejudice against people who are attracted to more than one sex or gender identity is monosexism. Some people say everyone's born bisexual, and that's still monosexism because it dismisses multisexuality. There are more multisexual people than there are homosexuals. Granted, most of them are women, but that's no reason to ignore the men. By percentage, there are more homosexual males than multisexual males." Dave tries to remember all the stuff the LGBT center taught him back in college, all the stuff PFLAG talks about. "Look, back when I was in college, I was dating my fiance, Sam. He's bisexual. He went through a lot of shit. People would ask me why I trusted him to not cheat on me, or they would tell him he was gay because we were together – or worse, they would tell me that I was just his experiment because he was being trendy. None of that is true, Aiden. He's still attracted to women, and he doesn't cheat; we don't have an open relationship or any of that stuff." Aiden nods, so Dave continues. "Multisexuality doesn't have to be about love, either – or sex. There are people who are attracted to men and women, but only fall in love with one or the other. There are people who fall in love with women and men but are only attracted to one or the other."

"Really?" Aiden looks hopeful.

"Absolutely. Sex and love – in our brains, they're not connected. Who you like and who you love? Those are on two different brain networks. There are asexual people, aromantic people... And they still fall in love or have sexual attraction. Ultimately, picking a label is about what _you_ think is important."

"But I'm not sure."

"You don't have to be. Society places a lot of pressure on people to just _know_, to know and to come out. Coming out doesn't mean you'll be happier, and being in the closet doesn't mean your living a lie. Your sexuality is a part of who you are, but it doesn't define your life. If you want it to, you can. The point is, you're still in control, Aiden."

Aiden nods again. His lip trembles. _Shit, I didn't do it right._ Aiden wipes at an eye with his sleeve.

"You don't have to figure all this out; it's okay to just be confused."

Aiden nods, but a strangled sort of sob comes out of his throat. "What will my parents think?" he croaks.

"You don't have to talk to them until you're ready. If you want, I can talk to them with you."

"You can – you can do that?"

"Yeah. It's in my job description." He hands Aiden a tissue. "Do you want me to?"

"I think... I think I need time to figure this all out." Aiden throws the tissue away when he's done with it. His voice is back to normal when he speaks again. "Thanks for helping me, Mr. Karofsky. I hope you and Sam are happy together."

Dave smiles. "We're trying."

The news is on when Dave gets home. Sam's been watching it all day because today's supposed to be the day Ohio votes on marriage equality.

"What's the verdict, beautiful?"

Sam looks up, and Dave's stomach clenches. His face is grim. "The bill failed."

"Goddamn it."

"Blaine called... Um, he asked if we were up for dinner, you know."

"At his house, or a double-date?"

"Their house."

"Yeah, let's go." The phone rings, and Sam picks it up.

"Hello?" He looks at Dave. "It's Burt and Carole. They're wondering how we're holding up."

Dave tosses him a grin. "Tell them we're thinking about moving to Illinois. We planned for this, remember?"

Kurt keeps sighing at dinner. "I was so looking forward to keeping this job."

"You're going to stop coaching the Warblers?"

"The head of the music department at Dalton knows that," Blaine explains. "Wes has connections in show-choir and theater, so Kurt will probably get job near Chicago. We'll settle in the suburbs, right by Noah and Rachel."

"We'll wait until after the wedding, don't worry," Kurt assures them. "We've put too much work into you two to miss the finale."

"Finale? Really?" Sam teases.

"What about you, Blaine?" Dave asks.

"I can manage stocks in Chicago. I'm going to have to be closer to an office anyways; I don't want to take trips when the baby comes." Kurt looks down at him adoringly.

"What are you two going to do?"

"We were thinking about Illinois, too, but we're not limiting ourselves. He was going to try and find a college job." Sam shrugged.

"I have a few offers from community colleges by Champagne, Illinois. There's another offer for one by Chicago, two in New York, three in California. Sam can run his business everywhere there's internet, but I don't want to stray too far from Ohio. My sister's here, and we were going to ask her to be our surrogate."

"When the time comes," Sam adds.

Blaine sighs. "This whole thing is utter crap."

"Blaine, sweetheart, do you want to tell them the good news?" A smile spreads over Blaine's face, and he clasps his hand over Kurt's.

Sam and Dave are already grinning.

"Rachel got an ultrasound last weekend when she came to visit... and it's a boy."

"We're already thinking up names," Kurt gushes. "Of course, it has to be something to match 'Hummel-Anderson' as a last name."

"Good luck, kiddo," Blaine comments.


	8. Chapter 8 Betty

Growing Up

Sam rolls over. He feels warm lips on his head, a hand smoothing back his hair. He opens his eyes. Dave stands before him in pajama pants and happiness. He doesn't even have his glasses on yet.

"Good morning, beautiful," he says softly. Sam smiles at Dave and sits up. The rush of blood to his head is a bit much, so he flops back onto his pillow. "No, you have to get up. We're going to see Blaine and Kurt today."

"Baby, let's just go to sleep." Sam curls around his pillow.

"Don't you want to see the baby? They just brought him home from the hospital." Dave tugs at Sam's hand. "Come on. We'll get breakfast while we're out." Breakfast sounds good, but sleep sounds better. Sam wracks his brain for an excuse.

"You have to study for your finals, baby." He rubs his thumb over Dave's wrist.

"They're in a month, Sam." What does Dave have against sleep?

"They're for your masters, and they're going to be the hardest finals you've ever had." Dave sighs before trying again. "Sam... Babies..."

"There is only one baby I care about right now, and that's you." Dave smiles, and Sam pulls the history teacher onto the bed. Dave nuzzles Sam's neck. "Let's just stay in bed today."

"No, beautiful. We have to be there for Kurt and Blaine." Sam rubs Dave's knee.

"Are you sure? Why can't we just laze around today?"

"Let's go hold cute babies. I mean, Betty's going to be there, too. You know how much she loves you." Betty Puckerman is a diva and a tomboy. She's every bit as precocious as a daughter of Rachel Puckerman, nee Berry, was imagined to be.

"Mmm, she's adorable. You wanna have a cute kid like her?" Sam wonders what he and Dave's children would be like. _Athletic, for sure. Athletic nerds. Hot athletic nerds._ Sam isn't really awake yet.

"If we have a daughter, she'll be cuter than Betty," Dave promises. "She'll be building a hard-drive out of a toaster by the time she's three."

That wakes Sam up a little, and he rolls over to let his chest face the chilled air. "I can't wait until you graduate. We're taking the summer off – the wedding in June, a month in Europe, then we spend August getting out of here."

"Paris, Madrid, Dublin, Manila..." Dave wants to visit a bunch of historical sites, and Sam fully plans on ruining every one of them by saying "I remember when the Doctor came here!" He hasn't warned Dave, but he's sure Dave knows anyways.

"That's where my language skills come in handy." Sam hasn't quite gotten Italian down, but he's doing better and better. He's started watching a few shows, and not just dubs of English series. Dave knows some from college, but he's been too busy to start brushing up on it.

"And when we come back, we'll have the civil ceremony in Chicago." Dave kisses Sam's forehead. Sam rubs on his scruff. There was something he loved about it, but Dave always shaved.

"I love you," Sam says.

"Love you, too."

Dave convinces Sam to get up by dressing him – mostly with his mouth – and promising that all sexual frustration would be relieved once they got home. He makes Sam drive the hour trip to Westerville. They stop by a diner on the way up to shovel down pancakes and waffles; it's not far from the Hummel-Anderson household.

When they ring the doorbell, it takes a few minutes for anyone to come to the door, but Carole Hudson-Hummel answers. She smiles and reached up to hug both men.

"Sam, Dave. I didn't know you two were coming!"

"We didn't know you'd be here," Sam says cheerfully.

She leads them to the living room, where Sam can see Blaine holding the baby. Kurt is on his left, a euphoric smile on his face. On Blaine's other side is Burt, who's laughing a little as he holds a finger over the child's face. Finn is behind the couch, towering over the rest.

"Now you two are here, and I have all my boys in one place," Carole announces. "So come and meet my newest boy." Kurt looks up and smiles.

"Here, let me take him," Kurt says, and he gingerly reaches over. Blaine makes hushing noises as he passes the whining infant. "His name's Corwin James Hummel-Anderson. Who wants to hold him first?"

"No fair!" Finn shouts.

"You held him already!" Kurt snaps. Corwin whines, though, so Kurt turns back sharply.

"I don't know how to hold a baby," Dave says, "so Sam goes first."

"You can hold a baby, right?" Kurt asks nervously.

"Absolutely," Sam answers. Kurt still makes him position his arms correctly before handing over Corwin. "You're gonna be singing and dancing in no time," he tells Corwin.

"Where's Rachel?" Dave asks. "Is she doing okay?"

"She's absolutely glowing," Blaine informs him. "Noah took her and Betty out for breakfast."

"How are you guys doing with packing?" Sam inquires.

Dave sits down, and Kurt shows him how he's supposed to hold an infant.

"The house is lovely," Blaine answers.

"Are you sure you have to leave?" Burt asks. "You just had a baby! You're going to need help, and we're all right here..."

"Sorry, Dad," Kurt says, "but we need our rights as parents. Illinois can give us that... Ohio can't. Besides, Rachel and Puck will be there."

"There's a great neighborhood. New houses, good schools, close enough to Chicago to commute. Besides," Blaine adds, "I'm insisting Corwin go to Dalton when he's older."

"We'll visit you in Chicago," Carole says. "Maybe you'll find a nice girl for Finn while you're at it."

Finn laughs, but Kurt rolls his eyes.

"Have you said goodbye to sleep yet?" Dave asks.

"Not yet," Blaine tells him.

"Rachel and Puck are spoiling us. They keep getting up instead of making us wake up to get Corwin," Kurt explains. "They need to stop; I've half a mind to drag Corwin's crib into our room."

"He'd be sleeping in our bed if I weren't afraid you'd roll over and squish him!" Blaine declares.

Sam caught Dave's eyes, and all they said was _Please tell me we're not this nauseating._


End file.
